I really enjoy doing music & playing live as often as I can. So as long as I'm on stage or recording & things are moving forward (IE: we're not rehearsing 3 months to do a freebee gig at your friends party), then we'll all be happy. I don't mind jamming or going to open stages, just as long as it leads to something. What I'm able to offer you is someone who's familiar with most aspects of the music business, takes pride in doing his work well & efficiently, is responsible, drug free & sober. My average basic fee per night is about $100, but that can vary either way, depending on: the time involved to prepare for a project, if I already know most of the songs or not, if it's covers or originals, complexity of the songs, rehearsal time, travel time, commitment required, if you happen to have a really hot looking sister, or if you're a whiney, neurotic, egoed out prima-donna, or not... : )

The whole point of performing live, whether it's playing covers or originals, is to sound as close as possible to the recording. Knowing what to leave out, is just as important as what you put in. There are lots of great players out there, but without knowing your gear & the technical experience to go along with the playing, an accomplished musician can sound just as bad as some kid banging away in his parents basement. It's not so much having the latest or most expensive gear, but rather using what's needed for the occasion. Experience is the best teacher.

To do this, I have several effects pedals, guitars & amplifiers which have most of the sounds required. Plus a few neat little tricks that I've come up with myself. A sort of 'trademark' of mine is to use the volume control on my guitar as I'm playing to 'swell' a chord or while bending a note, which creates a kind of violin/crying type sound. This can be very expressive & haunting if used with effects pedals, especially for slow songs. (see my MP3's)

An unusual guitar that I have is a custom modified double neck electric guitar, that separates into two. Initially I made it to have the option of using the 12-string, or 6-string, or both as desired. But sometimes while I'm performing live, if I split it (especially while in the middle of a song) people will start applauding. I also use stands that hold my guitars horizontally in a playable position, so I can immediately go from electric to acoustic while on stage, or use each guitar for different sounds.

A guitar that I use quite often live is a 12 string Ovation acoustic, for solo performances as well as with a band. With the pick-up & proper EQ settings it gives a nice, rich, full sound. Almost sounding like an orchestra in itself.

By using longer digital delay settings when I'm on stage I can create "loops" of guitar phrases which I then solo over, emulating keyboard sounds & often eliminating the need for a rhythm guitarist. Also, with longer delay times spaced at half measure tempos, I can do guitar harmonies in real time during my leads. This gives a very lush, atmospheric, multi-layered sound similar to that of Queen's guitarist Brian May, but within a live setting.

Because I'm left handed, it's a little harder to find good quality affordable instruments. So getting well made lesser known brands, is the best solution. But not to worry, usually when I play live people compliment me on my sound. It's not the name or the price tag on your gear that count, it's what you do with it. Every guitar & almost every effect & amp I use has been modified by myself. Most electric guitars have single/double coil switching.

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shinecat@hotmail.com